Haraki: A Little Bay Many Call Heaven on Earth

Haraki — also spelled Charaki — is an attractive little bay with a warm, family atmosphere. The beach mixes pebbles and sand, and while it’s mostly visited by people staying in the rooms nearby, local families turn up too, settling with their umbrellas on the free-to-use section in the centre of the beach. Many who come here simply call it “heaven on earth,” and there’s plenty of reason to agree.

The shape of the place

Crowned by the ruins of the Feraklos fortress, the small resort of Haraki — about 8 kilometres south of Archangelos — curls around a semicircular bay. Several little guesthouses stand directly in front of the pebbly beach, with no road separating them from the sea. Along the promenade that runs in front of the sand you’ll find mini-markets, restaurants and cafés, many of them serving breakfast too.

The castle on the hill

Little remains of the fortress that overlooks Haraki, but the climb is rewarded with a beautiful view — north over the fertile land around Malona and Massari, across the beaches of Kalathos and Agathi, and down onto Haraki bay at your feet. The Knights of St. John captured the fortress in 1306, and in 1470 Grand Master Giovanni Battista degli Orsini had it modernised. It served mainly as a prison for prisoners of war and a place of exile for Knights found guilty of breaking the law, and it once protected the surrounding sugar-cane plantations, whose harvests were processed in a refinery just below — traces of which archaeologists have since uncovered.

Getting there

Haraki sits about 36 kilometres (roughly 40 minutes) from Rhodes city and 41 kilometres (about 45 minutes) from the airport. It’s well connected by bus and taxi, the road is well maintained, and parking is available at the right end of the bay, with other spots usually findable nearby. Nightlife is low-key — a couple of bars to choose from — which suits the relaxed character of the place perfectly.